Miss Catherine Lacoste climaxed a profound year by winning the United States
Women's Amateur Championship at the Las Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas.
Miss Lacoste defeated Miss Shelley Hamlin, of Fresno, Calif., 3 and 2.

Miss Lacoste already had won the 1969 British Ladies Championship, the French
and the Spanish ladies' titles and in 1967 had become the only amateur ever
to win the United States Women's Open Championship.

Miss Lacoste took a three-hole lead over Miss Hamlin after nine holes of the
first round. Miss Hamlin then played the next 25 holes in even par, but made
up no ground. Miss Lacoste surrendered nothing to this fine scoring and closed
out the match on the 34th hole.

Miss Lacoste was three down to Mrs. Welts after 10 holes of their semi-final
match, but rallied to win, 2 and 1. Mrs. Welts then had reached at least the
quarter-final round in 13 of 15 championships.

Mrs. Carner, the 1968 Champion, lost in the first round to Mrs. Sam Furrow,
of Concord, Tenn., and became a professional before the 1970 Championship was
played. Miss Nancy Hager, 16, of Dallas, reached the semi-final round and lost,
1 up, to Miss Hamlin.

Mrs. Teddy Boddie, of Shreveport, La., scored 147 and led the qualifying round.
Her 69 in the first round of qualifying was a record single-round score for
the qualifying round.

Championship Facts

U.S. Women's Amateur

HISTORY: The U.S. Women’s Amateur is one of the United States Golf Association’s original three championships. It was first conducted in 1895, shortly after the inaugural U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open. The Women’s Amateur has since been conducted every year except 1917-18, when it was temporarily suspended because of World War I, and 1942-45, when it was suspended because of World War II.

PAR & YARDAGE: Old Warson Country Club will play at 6,422/6,468 yards and par of 35-36—71.

ARCHITECT: Old Warson Country Club was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and opened in 1954.

COURSE SET-UP –The USGA Course Rating® for the Women’s Amateur Championship at Old Warson Country Club is 78.1 and USGA Slope Rating® is 140.

Tees and fairways, height of grass – 7/16 inch

Collars, height of grass – 0.2 inch

Putting greens, speed – 11.5-12 feet on USGA Stimpmeter

Intermediate Rough – 1.25 inches (3 feet width)

Primary Rough – 3 inches

FORMAT: The U.S. Women’s Amateur is conducted with 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying. The low 64 scorers then advance to match play, with the champion determined by a 36-hole match-play final.

WHO CAN PLAY: The U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship is open to female amateurs who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 5.4.

ENTRIES: A total of 955 contestants entered the 2009 championship. The record of 969 was set in 2006.